Health and Nutrition That Is AboveNBeyond

In addition to using Weight Watchers and Herbalife, my wife and I also make use of Lean Cuisine.  The coolest thing about Lean Cuisine in our opinion is that they have the weight watchers points right on the box.  Talk about another great option to use when using the Weight Watchers point system.  I just became a member of the Lean Cuisine website and it has a lot of neat features such as Meal planning, fitness planning and wellness planning.  Just more reasons to get on track to getting fit and lean.  When it comes to loosing weight, it’s not about starving yourself or doing with out eating lots of great food.  It’s about eating to  loose weight.  You have to learn to substitute what you eat with great alternatives or find ways to change recipes to bring about a healthier meal plan.  Don’t think of it as a diet, think of it as a change of lifestyle.  Diet is a bad 4 letter word that is sometimes misconstrued.  Try thinking of a diet in terms of a meal plan instead.  Lean Cuisine is a great way to adjust your meal plan to work on loosing those pounds.   My most favorite Lean Cuisine is the Chicken Club Panini.  Oh, by the way, Lean Cuisine makes for a good lunch to take to work, which is what I do.

See video #8 in our Video Vault on Lean Cuisine for a past commercial.

Wow!  What a great day for a run!  It was cool and you could feel the warmth from the sun.  With temperatures in the 60’s and sunny skies, who could pass this up!  Oh, and while I haven’t yet brought this up, a run like the one I just had is worth 6 points on the Weight Watchers Point system.  And, I don’t mean the points you take off, but, the ones you earn.  That’s right, the ones you earn so you can eat that extra food you love so much!  This was an awesome day and I took full advantage of it.  I ran a distance of 3.1 miles equal to that of a 5k race.  There was some walking involved since my running did take a dive for a while.   But for the most part, the legs are in full working order.  I did two sprints which went really well.  While running is what I love to do, the moral of the story is get out, get active doing what you love to do!  Here is the post I wrote in my fitness blog.  So, I ask you, which is better, the couch or the pavement?  I know my answer, do you?

Back when I used to drink alcohol, one could say that I was that occasional weekend drinker.  There is research that indicates that alcohol does not contribute to weight gain.  There is also those who say that alcohol and weight loss are enemies.  So, let’s assume that alcohol doesn’t contribute to weight gain for argument sake.  Back at this time I was probably up around 200 pounds.  I drank and ate all the foods that one would eat when going to the bars.  So, one could say that your weight gain comes from the package that you consume over the weekend.  Now, granted, this is just my view.  If you take this package out of the picture, the you also take all those calories out too.  One time when I was a local bar one Saturday evening eating, someone there offered to buy me a drink and I just had finished my “limit”.  I declined and she said something like life is short, you gotta have fun or something like that.  I replied back something like But I am having a good time, I’m having great food, talking with people, I don’t need alcohol to have a good time. It was at that point the seed was planted to move me in the direction of cutting alcohol out of my life.

After taking alcohol out of the picture, my weight stopped rising.  It was at this point that I was a member of a local gym and I was starting to get involved with fitness and nutrition.  Also around this time, I started going to church and then stopped going to the bars.  A very good trade off if you ask me.  Lots of good people, and great food too!  A few months later, I found my future wife to be or should I say she found me and the rest is history.  Oh, I should point out that she would have never went with me if I drank.  It’s interesting how things can work out at times.

Running is the  easiest and accessible sport for everyone to take advantage of today.  Unfortunately, there are many who don’t take advantage of it.  In fact, many don’t get active at all with any kind of sport.  This is a shame too.  Chronic inactivity and obesity are known to yield many diseases, which could be avoided simply by getting active.  Getting away from being inactive can lead one into a fun and exciting new reality.  If you excuse the saying, “Just because you grow up, doesn’t mean you can’t have fun anymore”.

Let the little kid in you escape.

Having a healthy diversion is good for everyone.  Getting active yields many benefits, such as, mental clarity, weight management, & muscle tone.

What’s a matter?  Are you afraid someone will see you out on the road running when you could be on the couch all comfy?  When I started running, it was right smack in the middle of when I was depressed.  Talk about being very hard to get out there, but, I did! Got sneakers? Can Run!

Now, if weight is not an issue for you, sure, you’re lucky, but, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be active.  You don’t want to fall under the realm of chronic inactivity.  Ironically, there is some truth to the saying “All work and no play, makes {you} a dull person”.

There are some videos in the video vault regarding running.

If you are not sure what you want to do, you can check out NEWU or refer to other posts on running.

Ok, you completed your check list to get ready to start running.  You are or should be starting out slow for now.  We’ll now look at another list of things to be working on.  Remember, you are a beginner and not an elite marathoner.

1. A really good resource to make use of:
Check out Newrunner.com, a really good resource for new runners starting out.  Newrunner.com is a Runners World website for beginners.  It’s good to have the right resources at your finger tips to get the information you need as a beginner.  And remember again, you are a new runner, so, take it slow and work on building yourself up.

2.  What do you want out of running?
Do you just want to run for the fun or fitness of it?  Or, do you want something more out of the sport?  It’s all up to you.  You don’t have to decide right now.  You may discover something about it later.  For those who want to be more aggressive, why not a 5k race.  But, do this after you’ve been running for a short while.  This is something you want to prepare for.  Check out this article about preparing for your first 5k race training tips.

3.  Don’t copy, be happy
Don’t worry about what others are wearing and doing.  Rely on reliable resources for the information you need.  Do what works for you based on what you read and learn about.  Someone maybe doing something that may look good, but, it may be something that you are not quite yet ready for.

4. Find your way.
Just like starting out slow, find your way.  This is about you and not someone else.  If racing isn’t for you, then so be it!  Everyone gets something different from the sport.  It’s what you want that matters.  Once you discover your way, you’ll begin to rock! I found my way, you can find yours!

5.  Age is a number and nothing more.
As long as you are healthy enough and your doctor doesn’t mind, age is only a number and if you want to lace up your sneakers and hit the road, go for it!  Don’t let the thief in your mind rob you of something you want and can do.  If you can and want to, the road awaits.

Remember, Runners World is a very good resource for runners and anything about running can be found there.  Good luck with your efforts and enjoy the sport!

If you’ve been interested in running and haven’t yet gone from your fanny to your feet, get started now and please don’t wait as long as I did to start running.   I didn’t start running until I was 35 years old and let me tell you, I wish I got into running long before that, but, that’s another story.  Running is the easiest and cheapest sport on the planet to get involved with.  Just grab a pair of sneakers and appropriate clothing and head out the door and you are on your way.  Is it really that easy to get started?  For the most part, yes!  But, there are some things to consider before you get on your feet.  Let’s create a checklist to get you started:

1.  See a doctor to see how you stand

You really need to have yourself checked out before getting into running or any other sport. You don’t want any unexpected issues tripping you up while you are out there. In addition to seeing what may or may not be an issue, your doctor may even give you a starting point as to where he or she would like to see your numbers at to give you an idea of your overall health. This is a great starting point. Not only that, this can be a good gauge to see how you stand each year on your road to improving your health.

2. Find a pair of sneakers.

In a pinch, just about any kind of sneakers will do, but, for best results, you should get a pair of sneakers tailored for running. It’s what’s under your feet that matters while you are out there. Not sure what kind to get, just ask the associate at your favorite sports store for a good pair.

3. Seasonal or weather appropriate clothing.

You want to be comfortable when you head out there to enjoy your run. It took me a long time just to adapt to running in the rain. I couldn’t see myself running in the rain, when I could be inside and dry. That was until I realized that if you run, you sweat, therefore you are wet! Consider your weather conditions when deciding what to wear before heading out. For cold weather, layers are good.

4. Start out slow.

Remember, you are just starting out. You are not trying to win a race yet, or you shouldn’t be at this point. In addition to running, you should be doing some exercises too. A good resource for exercises for runners is runnersworld.com, they have some really good training videos.  If you push yourself too soon, you may over do it and get turned off by the sport, or worse, end up getting injured.

These for steps will get you out the door and on your way as a beginner, but, as the last step points out, start out slow.

Yes, we’ve gone mobile, literally! If you have a mobile phone, you should be able to find AboveNBeyond4u.com.

This is a new option for our site and we cannot promise how it will perform on everyone’s phone or if it will work at all for some.

No matter the person, we all need nutrition. It doesn’t matter who you are. The athlete, stay at home mom, the acute-work-a-holic husband, you, me, we all need good nutrition. Without it, everything else is pointless. What happens if you put the wrong fuel in a sports car? Put put put put phhhssss ……. We all need good fuel to keep us going and sustain us throughout each day. In previous posts, I discussed the importance of both getting active as well as portion control. Nutrition is another slice of the pie we need to be concerned with. To some, this is a no brain er, others, either didn’t get it (yet) or don’t care.

If one of your goals is to loose weight, you need good nutrition to help you loose weight. Good nutrition helps keep your body in top running order to help you do all the things you need to do in a day. How could you expect a world class athlete to accomplish Olympic gold without good nutrition?
It just won’t happen!

You should first determine if your diet is a healthy one. Take this test, it’s free and very informative.  You need to figure out how many calories your body needs on a daily basis. The human body is remarkable. Even if you spent years not getting good nutrition, your body will say “ahhhhhhh” when you change your diet for the better.

Imagine how good you’ll start feeling when the body starts getting the right stuff.

Getting good nutrition doesn’t mean you have to stop eating some of those other foods. Eating those other foods in moderation is the key. Those other foods should be like a treat and not an everyday part of your diet.

As is our slogan “Make life better one choice at at time”, try to make small changes in your diet each day. This is better than attempting to jump on one of those trendy fad diets which may not be safe for you anyway.

How do you know if your diet is healthy? You need to take a look at the USDA’s Food Guide to see if you are getting the recommended number of servings of various food groups.

Consider your choices, do you want to be like that sports car, revved and ready to race down the road, or do you want to be like an old heap ready for the junk yard? This is how important good nutrition is. It can make a real difference in your life. You may not notice much in your younger years, but, as you start to get older, the body changes. Getting good nutrition is an important part of everyone’s life no matter the age.

If you are a very active person, such as a runner, marathoner, biker, or other types of sports, then your need for good nutrition can be even grater.  Consult your specific sports type website for more information on nutritional needs.  For runners, I highly recommend Runner’s World.

See also:

1. More Nutrition related articles.
2. Food Pyramid

Back when I was an Herbalife Distributor, I started to see that what works for one person doesn’t necessarily work for another person. One person told me over the phone that she does not like powdered drink mixes. Well, regardless how good a product is, if someone doesn’t like the type of product, then it will NOT work for that individual despite the reason. This is one of the fundamental factors that AboveNBeyond4u.com is all about. About finding what bests work for you. Liking a type of product is half the battle regardless of it’s usage. However, until you try something, it’s hard to tell if you’ll like it or if it will work for you. We all want to look and feel good. Getting good nutrition, striving for good fitness, and loosing and/or maintaining weight is important. For it all works together to get the results we are all looking for.

Sometimes you can’t do it alone, in other words, there are products available that can help you further your goals if used right. With a little patients, research and effort, you can get more results when you use products that are effective in achieving your goals, whatever they may be. Isn’t it time to start conquering your goals?  Go  for it!

See also the following:

I recently found something and am recommending that you check this out – click here and see what you think regarding fat loss and your abs.

See other posts for burn fat, weight loss and supplements.

In recent articles, I talked about the importance of getting active. Ok, now I am going to put you on the spot here.
Are you one that goes to work every day, come home, watch TV and/or go out with the guys/girls now and then? Is that kind of what describes your week? You can still do that, but, why not change your activity? Getting active can be even more intense if you do it with a group of people. There is more to activity than just the hand and elbow coordination at your local bar or where ever. I’m not suggesting to stop certain activities, though that would be a bonus.

Regardless what you are doing each week, there are many ways to get active and have a great time. Wouldn’t it be neat to find an activity that you have fun doing and burn calories at the same time especially if it is with a group of friends? Not to say that you can’t do something by yourself, but with some friends it only magnifies it’s effectiveness. This is one of the reasons why I like running in races. I run with lots of people and it’s competitive too.

If you are able to get active with friends, you are even more likely to continue getting active then if you are doing it alone. Though, that never stopped me. Think of the calories you’ll burn off during your activities.

So, regardless of your activity, doing it solo or with friends, getting active can really aide in loosing those pounds thus helping with weight management. Best of all, some activities don’t cost a thing to do. It doesn’t cost me anything to go for a run except the time it takes to do it.

So, what’s your next move?